HowTo Keep ACTIVE app windows on top?

You could just click on the icon in the dock, that will bring the focus on the app, including the windows and all.

 

i don't quite understand your question, but sounds like expose will help u alot, try press F9

 

If you have no window open or it's minimized when you tab to an application then it it won't bring one up. Windows will restore a window when you tab to a minimized app. I don't think there's a way round it if you want Windows behaviour but just press Command-N to bring up a new window.

 

It sounds like you're minimizing applications as carryover habit from windows. It's very rare that I ever touch any of the 3 buttons in the top left corner of the windows, but instead switch using Expose(F9) via a configured hot corner.
Cmd-tab will bring focus to the front as long as the application is open and hasn't been sent to the dock.

 

If you want to have the minimised window become active again try Witch this is a great alternative to CMD/TAB
LINK
Great for a switcher

 

Install Quicksilver and set up Triggers. It does so much more, but this is a good place to start.

 

Use the 'Application windows' setting in Expose to show all the open windows in your currently active application.

Use the 'All windows' setting in Expose to to show all windows and choose your application.

Or use the dock to select the application you want.

 

Don't bother minimising windows. Use command-h to hide the app instead, all the windows disappear but you gain the ability to get back to the hidden app with a keystroke rather than hunting in the dock to expand them again.

command-tab, command-h, command-~ and F9 are basically the only four shortcuts I use for application and window management.

 

It sounds like you are trying to close the Applications with the "x" button in the corner of the windows. What you should be doing is quitting out of the Applications. Try pressing command+q (by the way the command button is the button with the inverted Apple logo on it) to quit out of Applications and press command+w to close out of windows. If you only close out of all of the windows then the Application will still be open and you either need to create a new window or document (usually command+n) to use the Application or you need to quit out of the Application to save your system's resources and (in my view) to be a clean and efficient user.

 

a notice: cmd+h will erase the windows content of firefox and thunderbird, they will need to be reloaded.

 

Not on my computer. There's a brief flash of white as firefox unhides but it's not like the webpage has to be reloaded.

 

lol, i was just about to retract my post, last time I remembered, it did so, but i just checked again, and it works well. Thanks for catching the mistakes.